Tidal freshwater swamps of a lower chesapeake bay subestuary

Abstract

Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in North America, incorporates all the physical conditions suitable for the development of tidal freshwater swamps: subdued topography, extensive freshwater input from numerous rivers, and tides that extend far inland from the coast. One would expect that Chesapeake Bay would support an extensive coverage of tidal swamps and a wide variety of types. However, wetland inventory data do not confirm a high coverage of freshwater tidal swamps throughout Chesapeake Bay tidal rivers. This may be due to a lack of reliable estimates of the Baywide extent and distribution of tidal swamps. This scarcity of inventory data may in turn be due to an historic lack of commercial interest in extracting resources from them. However, a better understanding of the location and extent of tidal swamps in Chesapeake Bay could help stimulate additional research. © 2007 Springer.